Our Team

Our Team

EDW’s knowledgeable and friendly staff are always ready to assist you with information and requests, providing professional service with a smile.

Responsible for the entire staffing complement, EDW’s executive leadership team consists of the president and CEO (Dayna Spiring), senior vice president (Greg Dandewich) and senior vice president of tourism (Chantal Sturk-Nadeau).

Economic Development Winnipeg

Executive

Dayna Spiring

President & CEOEconomic Development Winnipeg

Dayna directs all aspects of the organization's activities. She provides leadership and strategic direction, collaborates with key stakeholders and is a driving force behind making Winnipeg a compelling choice for business and tourism.

As the former chief strategy officer and general counsel of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), Dayna was charged with leading a group of senior-level employees, financial advisors and lawyers in preparing the federally controlled entity for privatization. Dayna’s supplemental responsibilities during her 10-year tenure at the CWB also involved facilitating government and stakeholder relations during a period of intense public scrutiny and debate. As well, Dayna spearheaded all marketing and communications efforts at the CWB and served as its corporate secretary.

In addition to Dayna’s extensive professional experience, which includes five years as an associate at Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson LLP in the early 2000s, she is a passionate Winnipegger with a drive to volunteer. Currently the vice-chair of the Winnipeg Football Club’s board of directors who chaired the 103rd Grey Cup Gala, she previously served as a director for Special Olympics Manitoba and led the team that brought the Gold Medal Plates competition to Winnipeg.

Dayna earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Manitoba. Previously, she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree (honours) from the same institution, majoring in political science. In 2015, Dayna participated in the Directors Education Program within the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, obtaining the ICD.D designation.

Greg Dandewich

Senior Vice PresidentEconomic Development Winnipeg

Greg has been with EDW since 1994 (known then as Winnipeg 2000). His wealth of experience in economic development, within both urban and rural contexts, positions him well to provide leadership and strategic direction to the entire economic development team. Greg excels at relationship building, facilitating strategic partnerships, coordinating industry and sector initiatives, and forging substantive collaborations between the public and private sectors.

With a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Manitoba and a diploma in economic development from the University of Waterloo, his background, proven track record and unrivalled experience in this role make him an invaluable resource for the community.

Chantal Sturk-Nadeau

Senior Vice President, Tourism WinnipegEconomic Development Winnipeg

Chantal manages the integration of all tourism-related activities for Tourism Winnipeg. She leads the Tourism Winnipeg team and works to facilitate a healthy, prosperous, responsible and fully integrated tourism industry that supports the city’s economic growth and delivers the best possible visitor experience.

Chantal has been an integral member of Tourism Winnipeg since 1999. From the outset, she has put her experience and passion for the city to work by spearheading major projects and campaigns, driving sales and marketing efforts, acting as an effective industry liaison and advocate, and working collaboratively with key stakeholders.

Chantal holds an arts degree and an advanced diploma in international business, both from the University of Manitoba.

Nike Bello

Finance DirectorEconomic Development Winnipeg

Nike has been a key member of the EDW team since joining the organization in 2014. Her current responsibilities incorporate all aspects of the day-to-day financial management duties of the corporation, as well as all finance-related administrative activities.

Senior Management

Tim Feduniw

Senior ManagerEconomic Development Winnipeg

Tim's multifaceted and chiefly consultative role at EDW requires him to forge strategic partnerships, execute industry initiatives and facilitate consequential public and private-sector collaborations designed to further develop Winnipeg's economy along sector-specific lines.

Edward Suzuki

Senior Manager, Strategic ResearchEconomic Development Winnipeg

Ed is responsible for all in-house research and analyses that targets companies considering a relocation or expansion into Winnipeg. His role includes the management and preparation of the following profiles: local, regional and global economic trends; industry sectors; key economic indicators; and business information. Ed also conducts ongoing strategic research projects in collaboration with industry and government stakeholders.

Marketing & Communications

Croft Petersmeyer

Director, Marketing & CommunicationsEconomic Development Winnipeg

Croft manages all marketing and communications activities specific to EDW. He executes a broad spectrum of deliverables based on strategic marketing/communications plans that span both digital and print formats. Croft also serves as the primary point of contact for all EDW-related media and advertising inquiries.

Research, Strategy & Planning

Marcus Lipnicki

Manager, Research & Special ProjectsEconomic Development Winnipeg

Marcus's role is a multi-functional role within EDW. His responsibilities involve database management, research-related deliverables, data analysis, preparation of trend reports and maintenance of information products. Marcus also administers and executes all aspects of EDW's IT requirements.

Administration

Janel Loeppky

Executive Assistant to Dayna Spiring Economic Development Winnipeg

Janel assists Dayna with issues management involving such aspects as scheduling, event planning, meeting management and communications-related tasks. She also serves as the primary liaison for EDW's board of directors and coordinates all board-related activities germane to the organization.

Lynda Howdle

Administrative AssistantEconomic Development Winnipeg

In her role as EDW's receptionist, Lynda welcomes all in-person inquiries and directs all electronic correspondence received in the general mailbox to applicable staff. She also provides organization-wide administrative support for multiple EDW functions, most notably in the research, marketing and communications areas.

Virginie De Visscher

Director of Business DevlopmentTourism Winnipeg

Virginie is responsible for selling and promoting Winnipeg as the destination of choice for meetings and conventions. Her main focus is attracting tourism business through local leaders with the Bring it Home initiative.

Grace Hicks

Business Development ManagerTourism Winnipeg

Grace is responsible for selling and promoting Winnipeg as the destination of choice for meetings and conventions. Her main focus is attracting tourism business through the association and corporate markets.

YES! Winnipeg

Leadership

Vince Barletta

Leader, YES! Winnipeg YES! Winnipeg

Vince leads the YES! Winnipeg initiative and is a senior executive of Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. Vince offers a powerful combination of knowledge and experience gained from working in the public and private sectors. Vince is responsible for promoting YES! Winnipeg’s stakeholder engagement with funding sponsors, developing and maintaining strong relationships with key collaborator organizations, building and retaining a strong team, and ensuring designated targets for job creation and capital investment attraction are achieved.

Business Development Professionals

Sonya Muraro

Director, International Business DevelopmentYES! Winnipeg

Sector: Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing -
Sonya proactively identifies new prospects to attract to Winnipeg by developing positive relationships with leading site selector consultants and informing them of Winnipeg's strong value proposition. She also represents YES! Winnipeg on international business missions, welcomes incoming international delegations and serves as the business development professional for the city's aerospace sector.

Bill Coulter

Business Development ProfessionalYES! Winnipeg

Sectors: Creative Industries, Energy & Environment, ICT, Financial Services -
Bill proactively identifies new prospects within his sectors of responsibility and advances each prospect to a successful conclusion by understanding what assistance they require and engaging appropriate collaborators to deliver what the client needs.

Jocelyn Advent

Business Development ProfessionalYES! Winnipeg

Sectors: Agriculture, Transportation & Distribution, Life Sciences -
Jocelyn finds new prospects within her sectors of responsibility and advances each prospect to a successful conclusion by understanding what assistance they require and engaging appropriate collaborators to deliver what the client needs.

Business Development Coordinators

Geoff Westdal

Business Development CoordinatorYES! Winnipeg

Geoff assists the business development professionals by researching potential opportunities, developing proposals and presentations, arranging appointments and meetings, and ensuring the accuracy and delivery of projects on time and on budget.

Jordan Tidey

Business Development CoordinatorYES! Winnipeg

Jordan assists the business development professionals by researching potential opportunities, developing proposals and presentations, arranging appointments and meetings, and ensuring the accuracy and delivery of projects on time and on budget.

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Winnipeg is one of only two Canadian cities with three Class 1 railways (CN, CP and BNSF).

5800+

Over 5,800 transportation and distribution establishments exist in Winnipeg, employing more than 45,000 people.

#1

Winnipeg is the most cost-effective city for aerospace manufacturing in Western Canada and the U.S. Midwest (KPMG's Competitive Alternatives, 2016).